[HanCinema's Film Review] "Spellbound": Overcome your Fears one Date at a Time...2012/12/01Film:"Spellbound"Director:Hwang In-hoStars:Son Ye-jin, Lee Min-ki, Park Chul-min & Kim Hyun-sookReview Score: 3.5 / 5
Also Try: "Love Fiction", "You Pet" or "Penny Pinchers"
Hwang In-ho's 2011 romantic comedy "Spellbound" (Formerly known as "Chilling Romance" on HanCinema) had a tough time when it was released late last year. This quirky, and curiously attractive, little romantic comedy had to wrestle the likes of "Mission Impossible 4", which claimed more the 7.5 million admissions during its marathon run at the box office. Credit then has to be given to Hwang's playful and quaint twist on the romantic comedy genre and the film's ability to convince more than 3 million people in Korea that it was worth the price of admission.
Like any memorable love story worth renting, "Spellbound" comes down to science, specifically chemistry and, here, a twist of physics. Son Ye-jin plays the nervous and introverted Yeo-ri, who just so happens to be a living in a nexus between our world and the next. Ghosts often haunt her as well as those around her, forcing her into a loveless self-seclusion,...More

South Korean Box Office in 20112012/01/14, SourceKorean cinema expert Darcy Paquet looks back at the results of 2011's box office with some unexpected hits and misses, the rise of independent features, and how audiences confirmed they value story over spectacle.
Although the number crunchers in Hollywood estimate that US theatrical admissions sank to their lowest level since 1995, things were not so gloomy in Korea. With an estimated 160 million tickets sold (more precise figures will become available at a later date), it appears that Korea has approached or broken the modern-day record for admissions. In 2010, total admissions stopped at 146.8 million. In monetary terms, 2011 was certainly the best year ever, given the 3D surcharge and rising average ticket prices. Americans may be growing tired of the theatrical movie-going experience, but young Koreans still crowd the multiplexes,...More

[HanCinema's Film Review] Korean Weekend Box Office 2011.12.02 ~ 2011.12.042011/12/04HanCinema's Korean Box Office Review(2011.12.02 ~ 2011.12.04)
The holiday season is in full swing here in Korea and the numbers for December's first week are in. With a healthy 482,384 admissions, "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1" is standing tall as fans of the popular series gather to get their latest fix of the vampire and werewolf action. It's probably not going to win any Oscars but its popularity cannot be denied as the series marches forward,...More

Korean romantic comedies crash2011/11/20, Source
The results of recent Korean romantic comedy movies are not that good.
After the craze for "Arrow, The Ultimate Weapon" and "Silenced" passed by this summer, there was a spill of romantic comedies, showing the sweet affection between lovers. Despite the fact that October and November is off-season for theaters, these films threw their hat into the ring with the excuse that the cold weather would give a reason for lovers to spend their time watching movies,...More

Injunction to ban "You Pet" dismissed2011/11/13, Source
The male solidarity's injunction to ban the movie "You Pet" has been dismissed.
The male solidarity requested the banning of the movie "You Pet", saying it was insulting to men, as the man in the movie is a pet and the woman an owner, therefore equating the male with a dog. However, the Seoul Central District Court dismissed this application through open questioning on November 9th. It just so happened to be that the male solidarity's statement ironically increased interest in the movie,...More

Jang Keun-suk Defends Slavish Portrayal of Men in 'You Pet'2011/11/12, Source
A Korean men's association has recently filed a legal petition to suspend screenings of "You Pet", a film the group has taken offense with due to its portrayal of male-female relationships. In the movie, gender relations are shown on par with that of a pet owner and her dog, they claim, calling this is "an insult to men's dignity as human beings".
In the film, a highly-educated single woman in her 30s played by Kim Ha-neul lives with a younger dancer played by Jang Keun-suk. In exchange for accommodation and food, the young dancer calls the woman "master" and loyally obeys her. The movie is based on a Japanese comic book that was hugely popular in Japan and Korea,...More

Actress Kim Ha-neul to Be Teacher for a Day at Alma Mater 2011/11/10, Source
Actress Kim Ha-neul will be a teacher for a day at her alma mater when she lectures 700 sophomore and junior students at Keumok Girls High School in Seoul on Friday.
Her lecture will include memorable incidents during her days at the school, her worries as an adolescent, how she started dreaming about becoming an actress and how she strove to achieve that goal,...More

"Flower Boys" color fall2011/11/02, Source
Actors in their 20s are here!
There was once shortage of actors in Chungmuro. There was worry that there wasn't going to be anyone in the next generation to follow Song Kang-ho, Kim Yun-seok, Choi Min-sik and other established actors in their 40s. However, nowadays moviemakers are smiling. Young and fresh actors in their 20s are shaking up Chungmuro with their feisty spirit,...More

Jang Keun-suk Hoping to Conquer Asia with New Album2011/10/13, Source
Actor and singer Jang Keun-suk released his first EP album for China and Southeast Asia on Wednesday.
Jang, who has built up a huge following in Japan since his debut, is expected to attract more fans from across Asia with his first mini album "The Lounge H vol. 1" when it is released in the region,...More

Jang Keun-suk: 'I Focused All My Energy on Filming Kiss Scene'2011/10/07, Source
During the production presentation of the movie "You Pet", which was held in Lotte Cinema Picadiri on October 5, actor Jang Keun-suk -- who is very popular in Japan -- remarked about a kiss scene with actress Kim Ha-neul, "I filmed a kiss scene for the first time during my acting career. We usually just place our lips on the other actor's lips when we film a kiss scene on TV, but you might be able to see a huge difference when you watch our movie. We focused all our energy on filming the kiss scene". His comment created a friendly atmosphere during the production presentation, which is usually very formal,...More

Why does Hallyu star Jang Keun-suk surpass Bae Yong-joon?2011/09/18, Source
There is one star in particular who media from Japan and other countries visit when they come to Korea to cover news. That is Hallyu star Jang Keun-suk. The Japanese media spell out his daily life and documentary programs on him are being produced. His advertisement value in Japan is rising everyday.
The DVD rental number for "You're Beautiful" has exceeded "Winter Sonata", and other movies and dramas with Jang Keun-suk are getting massive responses. His fans are not the symbolic middle-aged class like typical Hallyu fans, but more of the younger 10~30s that lead the consumption of pop culture,...More

Kim Ha-neul 'I Filmed 'Blind' with Great Effort'2011/08/08
Actress Kim Ha-neul played a visually impaired woman named Soo Ah in the thriller movie "Blind".
Not many actresses have appeared in various genres of work -- from a romantic comedy to a horror movie -- like Kim Ha-neul. She has recently earned the new name tag of "real actress" with her appearance in the thriller movie "Blind", which will be released on August 11. "Blind" is the first thriller movie for her. A reporter met Kim Ha-neul, who has been expanding her acting scope, at a café located in Samcheongdong. She introduced the movie by saying, "I am satisfied with the fact that I could complete the long journey with Soo Ah. "Blind" is the only work that I do not want to evaluate with any standard". Her comment was quite unexpected considering her thirteen years of acting experience,...More

Jang Keun-suk Releases Makkoli Wine Commercial2011/03/28, SourceBy: LB of Ani.me
Keeping himself plenty busy, actor Jang Keun-suk has recently signed on to be the official spokesman for the Korean rice wine, Makkoli in Japan. Breaking into the role, the actor has already released his very own commercial in Japan courtesy of Suntory. In the commercial, Jang uses his fluent Japanese in order to teach a young female bar patron on how to ìdeliciously drink makgeolli,...More

Jang Keun-suk to star in film "You Pet"2010/04/06, Source
Hallyu star Jang Keun-suk [Tree J Company]
Hallyu star Jang Keun-suk will be making a comeback to the big screen in a new film titled "You Pet", according to his agency Tree J. Company on Tuesday.
Tree J. announced in a press release that the actor has been cast as the male lead in "You Pet", playing a promising classical ballet dancer who becomes a personal pet for a professional working woman.
"I wanted to play a cheerful character for my next role and I thought the film 'You Pet' is something that fits me incredibly well", the actor was quoted as saying about the new role. "Personally, I have high hopes for the movie because I believe I will be able to show a different side to myself through 'You Pet'",...More

You Pet (너는 펫)

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